United State Presidents and other foreign leaders have also pay tributes to civil rights icon and former congressman John Lewis who passed on at the age of 80.
Lewis was said to have died from pancreatic cancer and was one of the “Big Six” civil rights leaders, who helped organise the historic 1963 March on Washington.
Former President Barack Obama in his tribute commended Lewis’ legacy.
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“Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way. John Lewis did,” Barack Obama said. “And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”
President Donald Trump later said in a tweet that he was “saddened” to hear of the former congressman’s death.
The response from current President Donald Trump, however, was far more muted and came hours after messages were issued by other US politicians.
Trump said “Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to him and his family,” said Trump, whom Lewis had publicly criticised.
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The presumptive Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden on his part described Lewis as “truly one-of-a-kind, a moral compass”.
Biden further said he had spoken to Lewis in the days before his death.
“His voice still commanded respect and his laugh was still full of joy. Instead of answering our concerns for him, he asked about us. He asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation.”
Also former president George W Bush said Lewis had “worked to make our country a more perfect union”, while Bill Clinton described him as “the conscience of the nation”.
Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, noted that the former congressman had “made an indelible mark on history through his quest to make our nation more just”.
Flags were flown at half-mast on Saturday morning and Vice-President Mike Pence called Lewis “a great man whose courage and decades of public service changed America forever”.
Civil rights activists spoke of their sorrow at Lewis’ death.
“John Lewis is what patriotism and courage look like,” civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson, who first met Lewis during protests in 1960, said.
Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the civil rights activist, told CNN: “From a historical standpoint, there are few who are able to become giants… John Lewis really became a giant through his examples that he set for all of us.”
Several foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have also paid tribute.
John Robert Lewis is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district, serving in his 17th term in the House, having served since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation.
SOURCE: BBC
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